vanilla bean - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag vanilla bean

Spice ID Quiz

Posted Sep 1st 2009 1:33PM by Slashfood Editor
Filed under: Spices, Quizzes

Know your fennel from fenugreek? Coriander from cardamom? It's the spiciest quiz ever from Slashfood.

Spice ID Quiz

Both leaves and seeds of this plant are employed as seasoning in Indian food, and the seeds are used to flavor artificial maple syrup.

Sarsaparilla
Nigella
Fenugreek
Carom

It just wouldn't be real rye bread without...

Caraway
Fennel Seed
Poppy
Cumin

The signature herb overtone of gin is...

Galangal
Fennel
Pimento
Juniper Berries

The leaves of this plant are snipped and used as the herb cilantro, but the seeds are a seasoning known as...

Cumin
Coriander
Cardamom
Curry

This spice is the inside part of the Myristica tree seed -- not to mention darned tasty in baked goods and sprinkled on winter beverages.

Mace
Cumin
Nutmeg
Ground Allspice

This wee, nutty spice is smashing on a roll or paired with a tart lemon pastry

Allspice
Poppy Seeds
Cardamom
Mustard Seed

These long, cured pods, often used to flavor desserts, are members of the orchid family.

Vanilla Beans
Cardamom
Saffron
Galangal

This strikingly-shaped fruit is a core element in Chinese five-spice.

Sumac
Galangal
Telicherry
Star Anise

This spice, made by grinding dried berries, adds a lemony taste to juice and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Mahlab
Fenugreek
Rue
Sumac

This Indian spice is valued as much for its vibrant hue as it is for its flavoring properties.

Turmeric
Ras al Hanout
Ginger
Asafoetida

This spice is often cited as the most expensive on the market, due to the difficulty of harvesting it.

Grains of Paradise
Sassafras
Mahlab
Saffron

These dried berries are, monetarily speaking, the most traded spice on the planet.

Mustard
Cardamom
Black Pepper
Cumin

Remember the previously mentioned Myristica tree seed? This is the outside seed casing, all ground up.

Mace
Galangal
Ginger
Camphor

We're awfully sorry that we can't present this quiz in Smell-O-Vision, but still we must ask -- can you identify this common ground-bark spice by sight alone?

Mace
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Allspice

The green version of this pod is an essential flavor component in Chai tea.

Ginger
Cardamom
Tonka Bean
Cumin

From left to right, these are...

Cumin, Anise
Celery Seed, Dill
Fennel, Cumin
Dill, Anise

This Thai cuisine staple is also purported to possess aphrodisiac qualities.

Ginger
Galangal
Horseradish
Asafoetida

This pungent, earthy seed is valued for both culinary and medicinal use.

Black Cumin
Fennel
Black Cardamom
Grains of Selim

Chewing this spice is said to improve and sweeten the breath.

Dill
Anise
Fennel
Celery Seed

Dried peppers are ground to make this spice, which is widely used in Hungarian and Spanish cuisine.

Telicherry
Wasabi
Ras al Hanout
Paprika

Simple scones of the vanilla bean variety

Posted Oct 14th 2008 11:30AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Baking

My love affair with scones started early, when my family and I would head to Central Park in the summers to go see Shakespeare. Year after year, the little refreshment stand outside the Delacorte Theater would house a pile of delicious scones (with currants, I think) that my mother would wipe out every visit, for us to eat over the upcoming weeks.

Over the years, I never found a recipe that came close to those perfect Scottish treats, but I think I might have found one that could be darned close, with a little tweaking. The other night I made vanilla bean scones -- and I wasn't even looking for the perfect scone recipe, but rather to use up a vanilla bean so that I could make extract. Double plus!

These scones are incredibly simple and easy to make (I used a dough cutter to mix it all, rather than fingers and a knife), and they're perfect for the people who like a plain treat. But these are also scones just asking for a little flair -- some sort of fruit or extra flavor to make the scone pop. (This is why the recipe is teamed with a DIY jam, but that's only one possible option.) Add your preferred flavor and shape as you please -- you can make them round, like the recipe asks, or roll out a circle and cut with a pie cutter to create triangles, as you can see above. Then they're just nestled into a pan, and quickly baked.

If you have a recipe that you prefer, please share it below!

Pears poached in a saffron and vanilla bean syrup

Posted Oct 14th 2008 10:25AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Dessert, Fruit, Fall

Over the weekend Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving. Living in Toronto, I wasn't about to ignore the opportunity to whip up my beloved turkey feast, but there was one thing I didn't want -- a heavy dessert. Pies and crisps of the pumpkin and apple varieties are the perfect smell-match for the day, but after heaps of turkey, stuffing, and mass eating, sometimes it's better to have a light dessert that doesn't make you groan in further foodie pain.

Even without a turkey, the recipe for Poached Pears in a Saffron Vanilla Bean Syrup over at Figs with Bri is to die for. It's super tasty, and if you choose to match it with tasty vanilla ice cream, as I did above -- the syrup is a sinful match with the cold ice cream.

You, too, can make homemade marshmallows

Posted Oct 24th 2006 9:55AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Recipes, How To

Homemade marshmallows are definitely one of my favorite candies. Unlike store-bought marshmallows, they are like little clouds of sweetness that are soft, tender and melt in your mouth. They are easy to eat, go perfectly with coffee, flavored coffee drinks and hot chocolate, and are ideal for making s'mores. They are also surprisingly easy to make, and very impressive when you bring them out to serve to friends or family. The only real drawback is that you really need a stand mixer to make them, as it allows you to keep your hands free while you're working and has a very large whisk (as opposed to the beaters of a hand-held mixer) that does the job quickly and efficiently.

I really recommend using vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean crush instead of plain vanilla extract because the tiny bean specks really look fantastic in the finished candy. Read on for the recipe, which I have made and enjoyed countless times:

Continue reading You, too, can make homemade marshmallows

The look of vanilla beans, without the beans

Posted Aug 9th 2006 9:01AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Baking, Raves & Reviews, Food Quest, Spices

I love to use vanilla when I bake. It mellows some flavors and brings others out, not to mention that it adds a wonderful flavor of its own. I have many kinds of vanilla, including extracts, beans, powders and sugars.

One of my favorite types of vanilla is vanilla bean paste, which is a mixture of vanilla beans with a little sugar, water and a thickening agent. It can be used interchangeably with vanilla extract, but it gives the look of having used a real vanilla bean and seems to add an even stronger flavor. It is perfect for custards, puddings, ice cream and even plain vanilla cakes, where you really get to showcase the little flecks of vanilla bean.

I have had difficulty finding vanilla paste in nearby stores lately, but I came across a similar product: Sonoma Syrup Co.'s Vanilla Bean Crush. This is vanilla extract that has the vanilla seeds reserved and added back into the finished product. With a quick shake of the bottle before using, you get some of those tiny, lovely seeds into whatever you're making. It isn't quite as strong as vanilla paste, but it is much nicer than some generic vanillas that I have had recently. Unfortunately, it's not much easier to find than the vanilla paste, but since the bottle is quite large, it will probably last for some time.

The vanilla crush is $17 for 8-oz. and the vanilla paste is $12 for 4-oz. Both are worth every penny.

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Spice ID Quiz

Spice ID Quiz

Both leaves and seeds of this plant are employed as seasoning in Indian food, and the seeds are used to flavor artificial maple syrup.

It just wouldn't be real rye bread without...

The signature herb overtone of gin is...

The leaves of this plant are snipped and used as the herb cilantro, but the seeds are a seasoning known as...

This spice is the inside part of the Myristica tree seed -- not to mention darned tasty in baked goods and sprinkled on winter beverages.

This wee, nutty spice is smashing on a roll or paired with a tart lemon pastry

These long, cured pods, often used to flavor desserts, are members of the orchid family.

This strikingly-shaped fruit is a core element in Chinese five-spice.

This spice, made by grinding dried berries, adds a lemony taste to juice and Middle Eastern cuisine.

This Indian spice is valued as much for its vibrant hue as it is for its flavoring properties.

This spice is often cited as the most expensive on the market, due to the difficulty of harvesting it.

These dried berries are, monetarily speaking, the most traded spice on the planet.

Remember the previously mentioned Myristica tree seed? This is the outside seed casing, all ground up.

We're awfully sorry that we can't present this quiz in Smell-O-Vision, but still we must ask -- can you identify this common ground-bark spice by sight alone?

The green version of this pod is an essential flavor component in Chai tea.

From left to right, these are...

This Thai cuisine staple is also purported to possess aphrodisiac qualities.

This pungent, earthy seed is valued for both culinary and medicinal use.

Chewing this spice is said to improve and sweeten the breath.

Dried peppers are ground to make this spice, which is widely used in Hungarian and Spanish cuisine.

Simple scones of the vanilla bean variety

Pears poached in a saffron and vanilla bean syrup

You, too, can make homemade marshmallows

The look of vanilla beans, without the beans

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